The Cornflower Witch Chapter 71

Chapter 71: On-Sale Remarks

Hello everyone, this is Aokora.

Unwittingly, this is already my third book. Recalling my first naive attempt at publishing on Qidian, back when I didn’t even know how to contact for internal submissions, I’m filled with emotion.

Many thanks to editor Beihe, who picked me up when I was about to give up and helped me secure a contract. Also, to my current and past editors Fuchen, Canaan, and Chenxiang, for their timely help and solutions whenever I encountered problems due to my unfamiliarity with the website’s mechanisms. If anyone is interested in trying to write web novels, you can also submit to them; you can now find their submission contact information directly in the backend of the author’s assistant website.

In a way, I’m not a mature web novel author. I often struggle with certain cliché “face-slapping” tropes in popular web novels, and sometimes I get laughed at for my clumsy attempts at them (￣ε(#￣)☆╰╮(￣▽￣///)

But I still have to write them, after all, web novels are not essays; they need some anticipation, excitement, and pleasure, even if the proportion might be less than in other web novels.

The power system in this book draws inspiration from parts of Cultist Simulator and Book of Hours. If you’re interested, you can try out that game series (it’s quite complex). The story mainly follows the protagonist’s adventures, growth, base-building, and money-making life, occasionally interspersed with key historical events and the unfolding of the world’s grand curtain.

Regarding female protagonists, strictly speaking, I just have a preference for the “maiden” attribute in female characters—that charm that lies between innocence and maturity, where purity and allure are harmoniously integrated.

This probably has to do with my childhood love for anime, like “Sailor Moon,” “Cardcaptor Sakura,” and later “Rozen Maiden,” “Puella Magi Madoka Magica,” “Revue Starlight,” and so on.

I feel that the three anime that had the greatest influence on my writing are “The Twelve Kingdoms,” “Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle,” and “Pandora Hearts.” These three were released quite a while ago, so not many people might know them now, but I still highly recommend them.

“The Twelve Kingdoms” is an anime adaptation of the novel by Fuyumi Ono. It tells the story of Akako Yoko, who travels to a fictional world based on the Classic of Mountains and Seas and the Zhou Dynasty system. She transforms from a timid and weak person into a mature and qualified ruler, step by step. It contains many discussions about human nature and national systems. While it can’t be compared to serious politics, it’s enough to enlighten many who are initially ignorant.

The protagonists of “Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle” are actually alternate versions of the protagonists from “Cardcaptor Sakura,” but in their grown-up forms. Compared to the more fairy-tale-like “Cardcaptor Sakura,” this one is sadder, involving themes of lifespan, promises, and destiny.

“Pandora Hearts” is a truly stunning manga. Readers familiar with it will know that the four grand dukes of the Empire in my story “Not a Witch” were inspired by this manga. It pursues the secrets of a century-old tragedy, gradually revealing the truth of the past. This British-style work, with its contractual mysterious spiritual entities, is an extremely rare masterpiece.

Since I love beautiful, dreamy maidens, I must create such characters and works to satisfy my inner drive.

In the early stages of creation, a female reader once complained to me that real-life girls are not like that at all. So, I curiously asked her some questions.

Indeed, if I were to write according to her description, it would probably align with reality. However, that would go against my original intention.

What I love, perhaps, is the perfect, dreamlike maiden character in youthful fantasy. If I were to lean completely towards reality, I would lose that vague affection, and this would lead to a drastic decline in my motivation to write (it’s truly hard to accept _(:з」∠)_).

Therefore, since novels are products of fantasy, it would be rather boring if they all adhered to reality. Moreover, reality is also incredibly diverse, and it’s difficult to establish a precise standard.

Having discussed the “maiden protagonist” issue, let’s talk about the story’s style. Readers who have seen my previous two books probably know that I have a bit of experience and a fondness for world-building. I often intertwine poems, legends, and historical changes within the background, making the world more vivid and lifelike.

The beauty of a great tree lies not only in its blossoming flowers but also in its thick branches and deep roots.

I hope these interspersed legends and histories can help everyone better immerse themselves in this small world within the book.

If you don’t dislike this style and theme, I will be very happy and will do my best to present you with a magnificent and exciting world.

If you are a new reader and also enjoy this style, you can also check out my other book, “Not a Witch.” Both have many similarities but also differences. As for “Miss Witch Doesn’t Want to Be a Diva,” it does have some regrets, so you can choose to read it selectively.

Finally, thank you all very much for your support!

This is Aokora; see you next time.

(End of this chapter)